Trustees approve $10 million to renovate Sacramento high school athletic fields

Sacramento City Unified trustees unanimously approved $10 million late Thursday to renovate athletic facilities at five high schools.

The funds from voter-approved Measure Q will finance upgrades at McClatchy, Hiram Johnson, Luther Burbank, Rosemont and Kennedy high schools. Renovations could begin as soon as this summer.

The decision follows years of complaints from parents and members of McClatchy High School’s booster club, Restore the Roar, that the weed-strewn track and potholes in playing fields pose dangers to students.

More than two dozen student athletes, many from Hiram Johnson, told board members Thursday that they were unable to play home games, suffered injuries and have to cope with gopher holes.

Amos Karlsen, a McClatchy junior, said the stories told by Hiram Johnson students “sound familiar.”

At McClatchy, the track encircling the football field is weed-strewn and pockmarked with gouges and dirt clumps, while the pole vault runway has broken sections but remains in use. Players and parents have complained that the conditions have led to injuries.

Johnson and McClatchy students are the most affected, said Karlsen, 17. He asked the board to prioritize renovations at those two schools.

Trustee Christina Pritchett said the district’s facilities committees, which she chairs, will prioritize needed renovations at its April 26 meeting and report back to the board. She said Friday she hopes renovations will begin this summer.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 9:08 PM with the headline "Trustees approve $10 million to renovate Sacramento high school athletic fields."